For those in IT
over the past several years, the invasion of the tablet has been a bit of a
love-hate relationship at times. We accepted laptops as the next generation PC,
acquiesced on the infusion of smart phones into our world (cause “you gotta have a phone anyway”), but then were overrun with
users’ demands for tablets, in some cases before we could catch our breath long
enough to figure out why we needed them. Does this still feel like a solution
looking for a problem to solve?

Maybe we were
closer than we all thought back in 1994 when the prototype tablet
newspaper was showcased. Fast forward to 2011 and many
still agree that the tablet is probably closer to a replacement for paper than
PC’s.For those of us (now converted)
paper-holics, that’s a reluctant acknowledgement….but swapping a legal pad for
an iPad seems to be short-selling its value too…what about all those unique design
points, multi-media, and computing capabilities?

In reality, tablets
are simply a new class of device; “tethering” them to existing technology options
is not necessarily helping tablets find their optimized role in an enterprise
systems world. By capitalizing on their unique
capabilities, we can find ways to create new access points for existing systems,
or brand-new synergies between business and technology.

Let’s start with the
paper vs. PC debate.No question that tablets
are great for consuming information.It’s no wonder that some industries have
snapped up these new devices and transformed their paper intensive
businesses.Your cue…look for those “paper
bombs” on clipboards; find places you can bring information to the point of
process, electronically.And while you’re at it, optimize on the
multi-media capabilities that no legal pad can match…you’ve got web, video, and
a camera available at the source of the business transaction.

·Long battery life and instant-on wins over the
casual user who needs occasional access to information.

·And for those who don’t live behind a desk, the size
promotes better interaction and opens up computing to places in the business
where a PC was not practical.

Your cue …look for
new access points into your systems where PC’s could not previously go, that
need simple interfaces for casual intermittent users who will warm up to a
device that looks like a clipboard (sans the pen on a string).

Not that you need
reminders, but yes, the challenges are real – security, connectivity, support,
management, etc.But technology tends to
drive change to meet new challenges and will continue to attack these obstacles
with solutions as the tablet world matures….more on that in a future post.

About

Welcome to the JD Edwards Blog. Post are contributed by the JD Edwards strategy and development teams, covering a broad range of topics. The goal of the blog is to create opportunities for information and idea sharing, to engage JD Edwards customers/users, partners, and Oracle employees in conversation, the spirit of improving the experience and effectiveness of all that participate in the community. Both EnterpriseOne & World products are fair game for blog topics. Topics will cover functional, technical, business topics,but it is not the intent of this blog to provide "support" activities and those discussions will be best served via My Oracle Support or Oracle Mix. We invite your comments and feedback, and look forward to lively conversation.